If their latest YouTube video is any indication, indie band I am the Mountain has taken their name to heart.
In the video of their song “Denigrate,” front man Colton O’Reilly appears embedded in a hole in the side of a mountain, strumming his guitar and singing as the snow blows and the wind howls all around him.
He is part of the mountain.
“We just drove out to Dead Man’s Flats and found a nice spot. I just wanted to capture some nature shots,” he recalled. “It turned out pretty good.”
O’Reilly said he thinks the band’s “incredibly handsome” bassist Jesse Shire “may have climbed every mountain in Alberta.”
“He’s a kind of a wild man – he loves getting out in the wild,” O’Reilly said with a laugh.
He is also a big part of the band that will be performing for a Cochrane audience at Found Bookshop on June 17 from 7:30 to 9:30 pm.
Beginning as a folk project of O’Reilly’s, the band has performed their songs in many Calgary venues.
Born in B.C., O’Reilly has made Calgary his home, and the numerous trips he’s made through the Rocky Mountains were the inspiration for the band’s name.
He said Cochranites who decide to take in their concert on Saturday can expect an eclectic musical show.
“I always have difficulty nailing down a genre, but I like to say we’re an orchestral rock band,” he said. “Our brass section is what makes us a little special.”
The music can be ornate and thoughtful at times – “not your typical pop rock,” as O’Reilly puts it.
“The one thing we try and do is connect with our audience. We try to make an impact and have people really feel the music,” he said.
The band’s website describes them as follows:
“The floating bass and fluttering horns circle around each other, sinking back like a warm hug from an old friend.”
The band’s creative driving force and front man, O’Reilly said he likes to interact with the crowd during their concerts, which should be especially easy to do in the intimate confines of Found Bookshop.
He said they’re happy to be bringing something a little different to town.
Currently, they have two CDs and two singles available.
He’s also excited about their latest recording venture, which will be a state-of-the-art, direct-to-disk vinyl album. They’re recording it and cutting it directly into the vinyl, so it’s a special musical project.
“There are no edits afterwards, making it the truest rendition of a song we can do live,” he said.
They’re planning on releasing the vinyl album called Where You’re Coming From on Aug. 26 at a festival at containR park in the bustling shopping village of Kensington, near downtown Calgary. Advance tickets are $20, and $30 at the door if available.
Tickets for Saturday’s show can be purchased on the Upcoming Events tab on the Found Books website: foundbookshop.com or through Eventbrite.
